Plot size matters: Toward comparable species richness estimates across plot-based inventories.

ABSTRACT: To understand the state and trends in biodiversity beyond the scope of monitoring programs, biodiversity indicators must be comparable across inventories. Species richness (SR) is one of the most widely used biodiversity indicators. However, as SR increases with the size of the area sampled, inventories using different plot sizes are hardly comparable. This study aims at producing a methodological framework that enables SR comparisons across plot-based inventories with differing plot sizes. We used National Forest Inventory (NFI) data from Norway, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland to build sample-based rarefaction curves by randomly incrementally aggregating plots, representing the relationship between SR and sampled area. As aggregated plots can be far apart and subject to different enviro

SUBMITTER: Portier J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9189332 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature